Sunrise Residents` Utilities Being Cut

SUNRISE -- About 370 water, sewer and gas customers have had their services cut off, or face that prospect, because of a new billing system that eliminates late payment warnings.

Records show that services to 278 customers were cut off last week, and as many as another 92 out of 30,000 customers may have them cut off today in a glut of disconnections rarely experienced by the city, Public Service Manager Judy Mallock said on Monday.

Some customers caught owing money were fuming.

``I admit it, I was a bad boy and they turned my water and my gas off,`` Mitch Kobylinski said. ``I was at fault, but even when at fault you should be treated like a citizen, not like you`re in Russia.``

Last week, Kobylinski unsuccessfully tried to persuade a Public Service Department cashier into hurrying to turn his utilities back on after he paid a $50 reconnection fee. City policy allows the department up to 24 hours to restore service.

He was insulted that she did not seem concerned about his problem, Kobylinski said.

``I want to be treated like a human being,`` he said.

``They`re angry people who have not paid their bills,`` City Manager Dale Sugerman said.

Without warning, the city changed its billing system this month, eliminated special late notices and began cutting off services if people did not pay. The only warning now comes at the bottom of the regular monthly bill.

The new, computer-typed warning says, ``Utility service will be discontinued without further notice and subject to service charges unless bill is paid in full by the past due date.``

Customers are still given 35 days to pay their bills. But under the old system, they received a second notification, about 10 days before the cutoff date, that their payment was late.

Last winter, about as many people had services cut off as this month, Mallock said. However, she did not have statistics readily available to compare on Monday.

The people cut off would have received late notices in late July under the old system. Those who still owed money when the old system expired would have been notified in their August bills that their July payment was overdue and that their service could be cut off immediately, city officials said.